Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Nicolas Kerdiles skated for itlhe Los Angeles Selects midget hockey club and represented the USA in the 2010 U17 Four Nations Cup. In 68 games with the Selects he scored 65 goals with 56 assists and 78 penalty minutes. Kerdiles scored 3 goals with 1 assist at the Four Nations Cup. He committed to playing college hockey at the University of Wisconsin in 2012-13.

2010-11: Kerdiles moved to Ann Arbor to play in the US National Team Development Program and skated for the USA in the 2011 U18 World Junior Championship and the U17 World Hockey Challenge. In 20 games with the NTDP U18 squad he scored 3 goals with 7 assists and 6 penalty minutes. At the U18 WJC he had two assists in six games for the gold medal-winning squad. In 40 games with the U17 NTDP team he scored 17 goals with 10 assists and 60 penalty minutes. In six games at the WHC he scored 2 goals with 2 assists.

2011-12: Kerdiles returned to Ann Arbor for a second season and was Team USA’s leading scorer at the 2012 U18 World Junior Championship. Kerdiles missed part of the season due to injury. In 18 USHL games with the NDTP he scored 4 goals with 9 assists and had 18 penalty minutes. Kerdiles scored 4 goals with 5 assists and was plus-8 as the USA won gold at the U18 level for the fourth straight year. Kerdiles was ranked 29th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings prior to the 2012 NHL Draft.

2012-13: Kerdiles was the University of Wisconsin’s second-leading scorer as a freshman. Spending much of the season on the Badgers’ top line with juniors Mark Zengerle and Tyler Barnes, he scored 11 goals with 22 assists in 32 games and was +10 with 37 penalty minutes. Wisconsin finished in a three-way tie for fourth in the WCHA and defeated Colorado College in the Broadmoor Trophy (WCHA) Championship game to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament. Kerdiles scored the game-winning goal and had an assist in the 3-2 win over the Tigers. The Badgers lost to Hockey East champion Massachusetts-Lowell, 6-1, in the Northeast Regional semifinals.

2013-14: Kerdiles made his pro hockey debut with Ducks AHL affiliate Norfolk — signing a three-year entry-level contract with Anaheim in April 2014 following his sophomore season at the University of Wisconsin. Kerdiles played for the USA U20 team in the 2015 World Juniors. In six regular season games he scored 1 goal with 3 assists and was +3 with 2 penalty minutes as the Admirals finished third in the East Division. Kerdiles scored 3 goals with 1 assist and was -4 with 2 penalty minutes in 10 AHL playoff games. Kerdiles was second to senior Mark Zengerle in scoring for Wisconsin despite missing nine games; scoring 15 goals with 23 assists and finishing +11 with 33 penalty minutes in 28 games. The Badgers earned an NCAA Tournament berth, defeating Ohio State, 5-4 in overtime, in the championship game of the inaugural Big Ten tournament after finishing second in the regular season. Wisconsin lost 5-2 to North Dakota in the NCAA Midwest Regional semifinals. In five games for the fifth-place USA he scored 2 goals with 5 assists and was +2 with 4 penalty minutes.

Talent Analysis

Kerdiles is a good size prospect who plays with maturity beyond his years. Capable of playing both wing and center, he projects more as a two-way forward than a purely offensive scorer but he does have some puckhandling skill. Kerdiles has a good motor and is not afraid to take the body when the opportunity presents itself. He is not a flashy player and relies on his smarts and effort to make things happen on the ice.

Future

Kerdiles attended training camp with the Ducks before being assigned to AHL affiliate Norfolk to start the 2014-15 season. In his first full season of pro hockey he has been among the scoring leaders for an Admirals team that has been challenged to score goals at times. Long-term he projects as a middle line, two-way forward at the NHL level; capable of providing occasional offensive contributions and responsible in all three zones.